Careful
by Phangirling
Summary: "I'm the Avatar and you love me. I'm pretty sure that means you have to listen to everything I say no matter how funny it may be." mako/korra, me/drabbles.


Mako's first actual mission on the force ends with him having been stabbed, the gangster he had taken on surprising him in the middle of the tremendous brawl by pulling a knife. The blade plunges in on his right side and stays there for nearly half a minute because all he does is stare for that long moment; first at the sliver of dull metal protruding from his jacket, then at the Triad that had gotten him and twisted the blade free upon the realization. He has a smarmy grin on his face as he brandishes the weapon at Mako. Surely he's confident that he has the fight on lock.

The guy lasts three more minutes.

* * *

Nobody's looking at Mako when the whole thing is over and done with. His grimace and the way he's got both his hands pushed into his side would give him away, but Chief Beifong is on the scene now and she's barking orders left and right, the fierce set of her brows leaving no room for her to be misheard. Her armor clatters together loudly as she stalks around inspecting the scene, making the pounding in Mako's head start to sound more like a shrill screaming. He's starting to see spots.

Somehow, he manages to clearly identify the chief's stiff lines hovering beside a building a few feet away. She's scrutinizing something long and dark that's smeared on the wall. Mako absently wonders if that's his blood. So does Chief Beifong apparently, because all of a sudden her eyes catch on him standing with a definite hunch in his shoulders and both hands above one hip. She closes in on him fast, her eyes sweeping over his form once before settling on his face, her expression set in a frown.

"Rookie," she scoffs, "tell me there isn't blood all over that new uniform."

He rifles through his mind for a response that doesn't sound stupid, but doesn't find anything. It's difficult to think straight all of a sudden.

In the end, he shrugs and smiles sheepishly before his boss is roaring for a medic to make sure that this kid doesn't keel over because there was no way she was explaining this to his temperamental girlfriend.

Mako tries to smile again, but then someone is prying his hands off of his injury and all he can do is grimace.

* * *

He gets confined to a week of bedrest. When the chief hears this, she has it confirmed that he isn't anywhere close to dying and then tells him that she'll see him at his regular early time tomorrow morning and also to make sure he has a pen because apparently_ bedrest_ is actually code for _paperwork duty until he's cleared for anything else_.

* * *

The next day is the first time in a week that he gets to see Korra and his heart is pounding so loudly in his ribcage as he approaches Air Temple Island's main building that he's forgotten all about his injury.

He and Bolin enter the room silently, both fully aware that they're late. There are more guests than expected seated at the table. Mako spies Chief Beifong sitting stiffly beside Tenzin and feels an embarrassed blush on his neck. He's still not used to seeing her out of work and he doesn't know how to act half the time. It's confusing and makes him look like a fool most of the time.

"Uh," he begins awkwardly, stepping into the room as Bolin rushes past him with cheerful greetings. "Sorry we're late. There was a - mmph!"

Korra's leapt into his arms with the grace of an airbender and an excited little sound, her lips pressing softly to the side of his face. He stutters out a breath at the sudden contact but catches on with ease. His arms tighten around her and he grins, moving to lift her like always. But something pulls in his side, sparking a shot of pain in his system and causing him to grunt in pain.

He hopes Korra won't notice, but she does. Immediately she tears away from him, all cute little pout and huge eyes full of concern.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

Mako nods immediately, too fast for Korra's liking and he knows it right away. Her brow furrows and she looks like she's thinking something over. Most everyone has stopped looking at him, but Korra's glare is still making him fidget. Finally, she jabs at his injury with an index finger and perfect precision. He howls in pain, shooing her hand away from him and clutching the spot like he did when the dust settled and it actually started to hurt.

"What happened?" Korra's tone is harsh and demanding as she yanks at his jacket and starts shoving away clothing. He tries to protest, but before he can she's found the huge rectangle of gauze taped to his skin and she's looking at him again.

"What happened is that his superior officer is an idiot." Chief Beifong supplies the answer with a scowl, lines on her face prominent and familiar. "He dragged my officers right into the middle of a gang scuffle. Your rookie included."

* * *

Korra's angry, but not with him for once. In fact, she's flat-out gentle with him, leading him to the table and carefully helping him sit. His protests die the moment her hands descend on his skin. The glowing water encasing them is cool against his wound, hot and angry since the moment he got it. His muscles relax as he exhales, sinking more comfortably into the cushion beneath him.

"This is a terrible healing job." Korra says aloud, directing the note at Lin. The chief shrugs and mutters something that causes Tenzin to blush and look around to see if his children heard. Korra doesn't respond. Her gaze shifts, fixes on Mako. "You should be more careful." she tells him. He laughs and reaches out a hand that skims her bare shoulder.

"That's funny coming from you."

She pouts, her hands slowing and then stilling before she bends the water back into its container.

"I'm serious." she complains. "I'm the Avatar and you love me. I'm pretty sure that means you have to listen to everything I say no matter how funny it is may be."

He knows people are watching and there's certainly a fine blush on his cheeks because of that fact, but his side isn't killing him anymore and Korra is giving him a ridiculously adorable look and that's why he can't find it in him to care as he drops his arm around her, huddles close and kisses her forehead.

"Okay, okay." he whispers into her hair, sea salt and soft locks against chapped lips. "I'll be more careful."

He's pretty much forgotten about the rest of the room for the time being and doesn't notice the look the chief gives them before sharply turning away.

* * *

The next day at work, one of the other officers asks him who his so-called "temperamental girlfriend" is and why their esteemed chief would possibly not have it in her to explain anything to her.

Mako shrugs the gleam in his eyes a little too bright to be honest.

"Because my girlfriend thinks_ I'm_ the one who needs to be more careful.

The other officer gives him a confused look, but Mako only smiles and continues to whittle away his desk duty time.

* * *

**a/n:** well, there's my first LOK fic. I'm nervous. If you happened to like it (or not, I don't judge), please review. Also, I think I would like to write more, so if you have any prompt ideas please send them! They can be words, AUs, songs, anything. Thanks for reading.


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